Everyone Needs to Read Banned Books
Banning challenged books from schools and libraries is wrong and is restricting students from seeing the real world. These challenged books can include many controversial subject matters, including sexual references, homosexuality, racial differences, alternative lifestyles and more. Though some of the reasons for banning books are understandable, they are not educating students on what they will see as they grow older and what they will encounter in reality.
Banning books because of religious reasons should not happen, since some people are not religious. If someone thinks the novels are offensive and go against their beliefs, someone else might think otherwise. In the article “Anti-Religious” from banned-books.org.uk, the author states, “The book has been banned as 'satanic' in some areas and was even burned by members of a church in New Mexico in 2001. The controversy is ironic, though, as Tolkien was a devout Christian and many scholars note Christian themes in his work.” The book being mentioned is The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, who was religious himself. This shows that even though some books can be interpreted as controversial and even be called “satanic,” it does not mean the author necessarily meant the book to be that way. In the article “‘Harry Potter’
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Though the books that have been banned in the past have controversial issues, they include real situations and problems that can happen in the real world. Books may be banned for going against religious beliefs, but not all people are religious. Novels could also be banned for not being appropriate for a certain age group, but they still include real situations that can happen in the real world, and students need to be educated about them. Therefore, if no books are ever banned or challenged, students would not be restricted from learning about what they will encounter in